Coin-sorter



E c. STUMMEJ com sums. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 21?,919-

Patented May 3,1921.

EMIL c. STUMME, or READLYN,- IOWA.

COIN-SORTER.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application filed December 22, 1919. Serial No. 346,640.

the crank handle '(described below) 1 within 1 To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL C. STUMME, a citizen of the United States, residing at Readlyn, in the county of Bremer, State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Sorters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to coin handling,

and more especially to assorters; and the object of the same is to produce a simple machine by means of which a mass of different coins can be sorted quickly, assembling those of each size in their own hopper, and stacking them flat in an upright pile therein from which at will and counted.

The'invention is designed for the use of cashiers who are called upon to handle coins in large numbers, and an important feature is its extreme simplicity which reduces the cost of manufacture and puts the device within the reach of all.

The following specification sets forth one practical adaptation of theprinciple, refence being had to the drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevation. 7

2 is a cross section taken through the tray and the hopper for the smallest coins.

Fig. 3 is a fragmental plan View. Fig. 4 is a plan View of the delivery strip.

Rising from a base 1 are standards 2 forked at their upper ends, the rear forkarms 3 carrying an upright plate or board 4 and above it a rear strip 5, and the forward fork-arms 6 carrying a front strip 7 spaced slightly from the rear strip to form a channel for the coins as best seen in Fig. 2. At one end of the machine the rear strip 5 carries a tray 8 onto which the coins to be handled are poured, and opposite the lower end of the tray the other strip may carry a baffle plate 9 to prevent the coins falling over this strip if they slide down the inclined tray too rapidly. The parts thus far described may be given any appropriate size and shape, and of course the'operator may stand in any position with reference to the machine but we will assume that he stands in front of it as it appears in Fig. 1, the tray then being at his left hand and they can be taken reach of his right hand.

The fork-arms 3' and 6 preferablyhave bows 13 and 16 just beneath the strips 5 and 7, these bows forming guides for and receiving the upper run of a carrierwhich comprises two chains 10 connected at intervals by cross bars 11, the same constituting an endless belt moving over a pulley or pulleys 12 at one end and 14- at the other end of the device; and this carrier is somewhat loose so that its lower run may hang and travel on edge behind the rear fork arms 8 as seen in Fig. 2. One pulley has a crank handle 15, and when it is turned the upper run of the carrier will move to the right as seen in Fig. 1, and its cross bars should be so spaced that they channel between the strips neaththis run is a grid which may well be made up of a rod 17 standing parallel with theboard 4 and supported therefrom byoccasionalbraces l8, and a-number of cross rods or bars 19 le'adingfrom therod 17 back to and extending a slight distance into the board 41- These bars are variously spaced. Fora distance at the left end of the machine they are spaced sutficient to permit the smallest coin (a dime) to drop between them, the

-next group of bars are spaced to permit a penny to pass through, the next group will drop nickels, then quarters, halves, and dollars. ,With this construction it is clear that as miscellaneous coins run down the tray into the channel, they fall into and are carried along to the right by a carrier whose cross bars move them or roll them along the grid and over its rods or bars 19. In the first or left hand group these bars are spaced so closely that no coins can fall through: but

the dimes, and therefore they are picked out of the mass and all other coins are carried along; and thus the separation of coins takes place throughout the length of the channel,

the dollars being carried to the extreme right. 1

supported entirely from the board 4:, are several hoppers 20, each having its wide open end underlying one of the groups in said will carrythe coins along within the 5 and 7. Be-

Carried by the framework, and possibly a to contain th appropriate coin, the tube being preferably slotted as at 22 down its front as seen. At its lower end the tube carries a flattened sleeve 23 within which 1s movably mounted a delivery strip 24: which may be rigid or flexible and of any appropriate material and length, its body provided with openings 25 of a size to receive the appropriate coin, although .by? preference these openings are slightly oval along the length of the strip as seen in Fig. 4, Said strip has stops 26 and 27 at its front-and rear ends to prevent it from being drawn through and out or" the sleeve 23, and beyond either stop it may well have a handle'28. With this construction, let us assume that each strip has ten openings in it, and it stands pushed to the rear through the sleeve so that its onto the tray in a mass, the inclination of the V delivery stroke.

front stops 26 abut the same. Let us assume that we are considering the left hand hopper 20, whose spout 21 will by preference be longer than that of any other hopper if dimes be the most popular coins handled. As the dimes are picked out of the mass and deliveredinto the hopper, they'accumulate within its jspout where they lie horizontally or face to face, and the lowermost drops into the front opening '25 in the strip, which opening registers with the spout when the strip stands in normal. position. Now when the operator grasps the handle 28 and draws the strip forward through the sleeve, ten

dimes are taken from the honaer and delivered successively by the spout into the open- 1ngs25; and as the strip moves forward through'the sleeve, each dime is dropped 'out of its opening into the operators hand or into a receptacle-or onto the base 1. The reverse movement of the strip to' the rear would discharge or deliver ten moredimes, and thus each complete movement or the strip automatically counts the coins delivered. I might add that there should be one more opening in the strip than the total number counted, so that when it comes to rest in either extreme position the endmost opening receives a coin tor the subsequent From this description it will'be gathered that the coins are thrown upon or poured tray and theshape of the chaniielbretrreen the strips 5 and 7 causes the coins to be asits length, and a series of receptacles beneath the grid, each having a hopper of a length to underlie one of said groups and a p ndant tube in which are stacked the coins dropped into the hopper; of means for teedinginixed coins to that end of the trough beneath which the grid openings are smallest, the trough being of a width to hold said coins on'edge, and means moved mechanically above the grid for carrying along the trough those coins not dropped through its openings.

2. Ina machine of the class described, the

combination with a trough, a grid along its P bottom whose cross bars are variously spaced in groups throughout its length, receptacles beneath the individual groups, andcoin delivery mechanism for each receptacle; or"

means for feeding mixed coins in mass to one end of said trough, and means for moving them along the same over the grid, as described.

3. In a coin sorter, the combination with parallel strips spaced to form a channel, means for supporting them, a grid carried by the supporting means beneath said strips and having its cross bar variously spaced in groups throughout its length and recep. tacles beneath the several groups; of guides .within said support and an endless carrier movable over the. grid between it and the strips toward the end of the widest spacing of the grid bars.

4c. In a coin assorter, the combination with parallel strips spaced to form a channel, means for supporting them, a grid carried by the supporting means beneath said strips and having its cross bars variously spaced in groups throughout its length, and receptacles beneath the several groups; oi guides within said support, 'a carrier consisting of endless belts movable within said guides and cross bars connecting them and spaced to receive the largest coins handled, and pulleys and operating mechanism for supporting the said carrier and moving its upper stretch above the grid from the end of its narrowest spacing toward and over the other end.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

EMIL C. STUMME. Witnesses I W: C. TEGTHRUMER, (1-H. 'Pooorif 

